MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry

This week’s MCV isnow available to view online – and it features Disney vs Activision as the battle for video game toys begins. We also analyse the challenges faced by HMV, THQ and Play.com and run our exclusive 2012 retail charts. We’ve listed the contents in full below. Download our …

The damage done by the potential evaporation of HMV on the High Street will hit closer to home in the music and film markets than it will for games. Should the worst happen, the material impact for games could be shrugged off, albeit annoyingly, for many. But in DVD/Blu-ray and …

Video games have again become central to America’s heated debate on gun ownership that erupted in the aftermath of December’s Newtown school shootings. President Obama yesterday revealed a 23-step plan designed to address America’s gun violence problem. And one of those steps is an order for the Center for Disease …

Former Apple PR boss Nick Grange is heading up a new division at UK PR agency W. He is a familiar face to the games industry thanks to his long years of service at EA, Activision and Microsoft, having helped to establish the Xbox brand in the UK. He also …

Developers to discuss the studio's world building techniques from concept to production in creating the new IP

New British comedy Pulp will skip cinemas and TV, instead airing for the first time on Xbox 360. Microsoft has signed a deal to host the UK film’s premiere via Xbox Live. It is the platform holder’s latest move to establish the console as an entertainment hub rather than a …

Collaboration tool used in more than five million projects

Home Retail Group has announced that total sales grew 1.6 per cent to 1.744m between September 2nd and January 5th. Internet sales for the year accounted for 42 per cent of total sales. "Argos had a good peak trading period building on its first half performance,” says Terry Duddy, Home …

A single, solitary and most likely lonely person has led to the banning of a Nintendo Wii U TV ad. The ASA bizarrely chose to uphold the complaint that drew issue with the depiction of how the console switches from TV gameplay to GamePad gameplay as the short did not …

Angry Birds Star Wars was the No.1 UK PC budget game over Christmas. Focus Multimedia – which claims to have held 25 per cent of the budget-priced PC market in December – told MCV last year it was confident Angry Birds would top the Christmas charts. It is the second …